Fragments of death. A taphonomic study of human remains from Neolithic Orkney

Crozier, Rebecca

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.05.036

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Additional differences in the shared material culture and social practices of Ireland and Orkney c. 3300–2900 cal bc include the absence of miniaturisation and the dominance of mortuary rites on the interment of whole bodies in passage tombs (Jones 2012, 48; Crozier 2016). This contrasts strongly with the tradition of incorporating disarticulated, unburnt human remains, particularly long bones and skulls alongside cremations, as well as complete inhumations in Irish passage tombs (see Cooney 2014; 2017).…”

Section: Orkney and Brú Na Bóinne: A Sphere Of Mutual Influence 3300–mentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting into the Groove: Exploring the Relationship between Grooved Ware and Developed Passage Tombs in Ireland c. 3000–2700 cal bc

Carlin

2017

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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This paper examines the relationship between the use of late Irish passage tombs and the development of the British and Irish Grooved Ware complex, including its Orcadian origins. The architectural forms of these passage tombs and their associated material culture, symbolic repertoires, and depositional practices in Ireland and Orkney indicate sustained connections between people in these places. It is argued that these interactions strongly influenced the development of Grooved Ware and its associated material culture in Orkney and beyond. The results of recent dating programmes are synthesised, and the character of depositional practices from 3300 to 2700 calbcare reassessed to highlight continuities in traditions of practice and representation. Together, these indicate that the adoption of Grooved Ware in Ireland did not herald an era of large-scale social transformation and that the primary use of late passage tombs did not suddenly cease at the end of the 4th millenniumbc. Instead they continued as foci for largely unchanged forms of ceremonial activity until 2450 calbcas part of a series of ongoing social and cultural shifts in people’s material culture and practices. It is argued that the current periodisation of the late 4th–3rd millenniabcin Ireland unduly emphasises a disjuncture between the Irish Middle and Late Neolithic. An alternative view of social and cultural change that refocuses attention on social agency is proposed.

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Section: Orkney and Brú Na Bóinne: A Sphere Of Mutual Influence 3300–mentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting into the Groove: Exploring the Relationship between Grooved Ware and Developed Passage Tombs in Ireland c. 3000–2700 cal bc

Carlin

2017

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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“…This study has demonstrated that many old curated collections of previously studied archaeological bone still have considerable scientific potential, and this has been shown from many re-assessments of Neolithic samples in particular (e.g. Crozier 2016;Walsh et al 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…The evident fragmentation of human remains in the Carrowkeel passage tombs, either by cremation, dismemberment and potentially further post-mortem processing, may be an attempt to homogenize the bone material and form a coherent physical representation of the dead that would no longer be represented by a body or corpse. Fragmentation of human remains as an integrated anthropogenic component in the Neolithic burial rite has also been suggested in a recent taphonomic study of funerary deposits from Orkney (Crozier 2016).…”

Section: Processing Bodies Through Fragmentationmentioning

confidence: 75%

Facilitating Transitions: Postmortem Processing of the Dead at the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex, Ireland (3500–3000 cal. B.C.)

Geber

Hensey

Meehan

et al. 2017

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“…In the British Isles, the wide variety of mortuary deposits has motivated a more profound investigation on the actions carried out at megalithic sites. The practices that have been detected include the exposure and relocation of remains; the natural disarticulation by post‐depositional phenomena and the disappearance of elements after periodical clean‐ups of the burial space; the intentional disarticulation and defleshing of bodies to speed up the decomposition process; and even the circulation of some skeletal elements as relics (Beckett, 2011; Crozier, 2016; Cunha et al, 2016; Shanks & Tilley, 1982; Silva & Ferreira, 2008; Smith & Brickley, 2009; Wysocki et al, 2013). These formulae have been confirmed by finds of very precise evidence of perimortem processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two examples of anthropic manipulation and postmortem processing of human remains at megalithic sites in inland Iberia: La Cabaña and Los Zumacales (Spanish northern sub‐plateau)

Santa‐Cruz,

Velasco‐Vázquez

2023

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Several recent studies have demonstrated the complexity of funerary practices in megalithic burials. Mortuary taphonomy has proposed models to explain these practices, in which different actions, such as the generation of primary and secondary deposits, the selection and manipulation of bone remains, the extraction of materials from the grave, and so forth, can be identified. However, in the northern sub‐plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, the interpretation of funerary gestures related to megalithic tombs has not been systematically studied from the perspective of taphonomy. In this paper, we study two sites, Los Zumacales and La Lora, dated to the fourth millennium B.C. The analysis considers all the burial practices linked with megalithic tombs, with a focus on the social and natural processes involved in the formation of these complex mortuary deposits. In both examples, direct evidence of perimortem manipulation of human remains is documented by the presence of fresh fractures and cut marks in different long bones. As suggested in the discussion, this evidence may be related to secondary reduction practices following the initial deposition of the bodies.

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Fragments of death. A taphonomic study of human remains from Neolithic Orkney

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Getting into the Groove: Exploring the Relationship between Grooved Ware and Developed Passage Tombs in Ireland c. 3000–2700 cal bc

Getting into the Groove: Exploring the Relationship between Grooved Ware and Developed Passage Tombs in Ireland c. 3000–2700 cal bc

Facilitating Transitions: Postmortem Processing of the Dead at the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex, Ireland (3500–3000 cal. B.C.)

Two examples of anthropic manipulation and postmortem processing of human remains at megalithic sites in inland Iberia: La Cabaña and Los Zumacales (Spanish northern sub‐plateau)

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